Last updated: July 1, 2022
KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders): 50 Million Influencers
What are KOLs?
KOLs means "Key Opinion Leaders." 
Wikipedia defines KOLs as experts that can influence the behavior of others, meaning KOLs can sway minds. KOLs are also called influencers or thought leaders , and in the post-pandemic world, the terms "DOLs" (digital opinion leaders) and digital influencers have also gained popularity.
KOL is a broad term, and a wide range of industries apply the concept with certain variations, but most KOLs can be found in the fields of sciences and technology and have built their reputation through years of focused work on a particular area. These leaders/influencers tend to gain the trust of their peers within their field of study through their track record of accomplishments, published research, accepted findings and expertise.
How to find KOLs
Using the KOLs website, you can compare the level of influence of any two KOLs for any concept .
To get a free and personalized KOLs list, please email , and in less than 2 hours, we will send you the list of the most influential KOLs that match your targeting criteria (location, concepts, subconcepts).
Key opinion leader definition
A key opinion leader (KOL) is an expert or thought leader within the scientific community who has earned the trust of their peers for specific concepts. 
Patients, physicians, and sometimes even regulatory agencies accept KOLs ' input while making decisions.
KOLs tend to be well-respected and highly regarded by their peers and by the public.
For example, in a Key Opinion Leaders study by Clinckemaillie et al. in 2011, 850 Healthcare providers (HCPs) outside of the United States were asked how they decide which brand of medication to prescribe. 40% out of the 850 participants said they based their decision on the prominence of specific pieces of research available about the drugs they prescribe. In other words, in the case of a doctor, the opinion of prominent peers/researchers is taken into account to recommend a treatment plan to a patient.
How many individuals are in KOLs database?
The Key Opinion Leaders' database, or KOLs database for short, has coverage for more than 50 million individuals in over 170 countries . (please see the FAQs for more details).
Are KOL mappings free?
Yes, access to KOLs mappings and the entire KOLs database is entirely free of charge . You can run unlimited queries and use as many filters (city, country, sub-concepts, organizations and more) as you need. There is no longer a need to pay hefty fees to providers of KOL mappings.
Get a free KOL report:
What are "Key Opinion Leader insights"?
Key opinion leader insights are a set of concepts that would accurately describe and provide a deep understanding of a KOL.
In layman's terms, the insights for a thought leader would be a set of concepts that describe accurately what this key opinion leader knows about or has influence for.
The following is an example of key opinion leader insights for a prominent scientist (this is an actual example derived by the KOLs platform): 
Key opinion leader jobs / KOLs jobs / KOLs careers
From time to time, we allow posting job/engagement/career opportunities in the KOLs Careers section. If you are interested in posting a KOLs-related job or a key opinion leader career/engagement opportunity, please contact us using the contact us form. Users must comply with all applicable laws, the terms of use, and all posted site rules. Postings are subject to review and approval before they can go live.
KOLs Frequently Asked Questions
What is a key opinion former?
Key opinion former is often used interchangeably with "key opinion leader" or "KOL". Please see the " What is a KOL ?" above.
What are other synonyms for KOL?
Depending on the context, other synonyms for Key Opinion Leader are:
Why are thought leaders and digital opinion leaders influential in Healthcare?
It is the case because doctors, patients, advocacy groups, and sometimes even regulatory agencies consider the leader opinion while making decisions.
Could there be conflicts of interest?
In our opinion key opinion leaders can hold leadership roles and manage conflicts of interest (COIs) with integrity.
What is the meaning of the numeric influence score of a Key Opinion Leader for a concept?
The Key Opinion Leader concept score, or KOL-concept score for short, is a deterministic, quantifiable, and verifiable measure of a person's level of influence (for a specific concept) on the scientific/academic community. It is a measure of that person's level of contextual influence for that specific concept.
How are the KOL-concept scores calculated?
The Key Opinion Leader concept scores (KOL-concept scores) are calculated using our proprietary technology and artificial intelligence operating over a set of over 100 million publications.
How many individuals are in a KOLs database?
The Key Opinion Leaders' database has coverage for more than 50 million individuals in over 170 countries.
How many concepts are mapped to KOLs?
You can access sorted KOL mappings for over 3 trillion concepts (3,000,000,000,000+ concepts).
Where is our company located?
We currently operate two locations that serve customers all around the world:
East coast:
West coast:
Are there other organizations that provide similar services, or alternatives to Key Opinion Leaders?
Yes, there are other companies/services that provide key opinion leaders' insights, some that we know of are (in no particular order):
How can I get a copy of the KOLs database?
To get a copy of the KOLs database please contact us by clicking on the "Contact us" link at the bottom of any page in Key Opinion Leaders' website.
How can I find oncology key opinion leaders?
For illustration purposes, we have prepared a guide that showcases how to find key opinion leaders in oncology. Please see the guide " How to find Key Opinion Leaders in Oncology ."
This guide is just an illustrative example. You can use the Key Opinion Leaders website similarly to identify KOLs in any other area of knowledge. This service is completely free of charge and publicly accessible .
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